Potholes and other surface defects are more likely to appear due to severe weather conditions

Around 49,000 defects have been recorded on Northern Ireland roads in the last three months alone, it has been revealed.

The Infrastructure Minister said this is close to half the total for the whole previous year, with recent severe weather taking their toll on the roads network.

In addition to the 40 resurfacing schemes announced after the Minister’s December Monitoring allocation, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has launched a £7.85million Winter Recovery Road Fund to tackle the impact of recent severe weather conditions have had across our network.

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Minister Kimmins said: “I am all too aware that the recent storms, prolonged rainfall, ice and snow have all taken their toll on our roads, and I have been working to identify and secure funding to address the problem. Today, I can confirm that I have established a £7.85million Winter Recovery Road Fund to allow an urgent and direct focus on repairing the surface defects which are causing the most concern.

“The winter period has taken a severe toll on the road network. To put the current situation in context, 49,000 defects have been recorded in the last three months alone, which is close to half the total for the whole of the previous year.

“Given the scale of the damage caused, it is not possible to address every issue in the short-term. However, in addition to securing the additional funding being announced today, I have also asked my officials to also explore every avenue to maximise our available workforce capacity to ensure we are doing as much as we can as quickly as possible.

“I am committed to doing all I can to improve our roads and the Winter Recovery Road Fund will allow vital repairs to the worst affected areas to be carried out in a focused way and completed as soon as possible.”

Potholes and other surface defects on the roads are more likely to happen at this time of year. When it rains, water enters small cracks and freeze–thaw cycles expand and break apart the surface. Heavy or prolonged rain damages the underlying layers, reducing a roads load‑bearing capacity leading to potholes, rutting, and surface deformation.

Flooding can also erode sub‑base materials, damage embankments, and block drainage systems, creating long‑term water damage. Adverse weather speeds up both surface wear and structural fatigue, increasing maintenance needs and reducing the lifespan of the road.

Speaking on other measures to help the condition of our roads, the Minister continued: “I want to raise the standard of maintenance across the network, ensuring that interventions are timely, durable, and delivered to consistently high specifications. I launched the new Road Maintenance Strategy in December which recently closed for public consultation and I hope that people took the opportunity to respond.”

The Minister concluded: “The Winter Recovery Road Fund will allow additional repairs on the worst of our weather-impacted roads. This short-term boost is coupled with the longer-term strategy that will provide greater detail to inform strategic decision making.

“This will also continue to be supported by the ongoing reporting of potholes and surface defects via the online portal and I encourage the public to do this. Maintenance staff will continue to inspect and make-safe defects by working to address the highest priority defects as fast as possible, in accordance with our policy to ensure the safety of the travelling public.”

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England: Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George, Heyes; Coles, Chessum; Pepper, Underhill, Earl

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Rodd, Davison, Itoje, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith

Wales: Rees-Zammit; Mee, James, B Thomas, Adams; Edwards, T Williams; Smith, Lake (capt), Griffin, D Jenkins, Beard, Mann, Macleod, Wainwright.

Replacements: Belcher, Carre, T Francis, Carter, Plumtree, Deaves, Hardy, Grady.

The town ranked 11th out of the ‘Best 25 biggest towns in Britain’, according to newly published rankings by The Telegraph travel writer Chris Moss.

Moss scored each contender out of 10 based on architecture, attractions, culture, dining, and overall appeal.

Bolton received a score of six out of 10, placing it in the top half of the list and ahead of several larger or more widely known urban centres.

Moss said: “Bolton’s peak production year was 1929, when 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching works were operating.

“It’s a town shaped by both industrial greatness and post-industrial challenge.”

He described Bolton as “a typical post-industrial town, with a lot of dead mills, windy spaces and underused facilities”, but noted it is not without promise.

He also referenced English writer JB Priestley’s 1934 travelogue English Journey, in which Priestley wrote of Bolton: “The ugliness is so complete that it is almost exhilarating.

“It challenges you to live there.”

He also claimed Bolton was “Too hard, too Yorkshire. [???]

“But a ghost of former greatness.”

While acknowledging the lasting impact of deindustrialisation, Mr Moss highlighted ongoing regeneration efforts, such as the transformation of the town’s listed Market Hall into a shopping and dining destination.

Mr Moss said: “Though chain restaurants will never replace the perfume and vitality of fish and fresh veg.”

He also touched on the town’s historical significance across multiple industries, not just cotton.

He said: “Mining, chemicals, heavy engineering and rope-making also played key roles in its development.”

His assessment of Bolton appeared in The Telegraph as part of a broader comparison of England’s largest towns, published amid the Government’s call for submissions to become the UK’s first official Town of Culture in 2028.

Three finalists, one small, one medium, and one large, will be shortlisted, with the overall winner set to receive £3 million and two runners-up £250,000 each.

He also pointed to Ye Olde Man and Scythe as a “secret sight.”

The pub is historically significant as the place where the Earl of Derby (whose family once owned the pub) was killed in 1651.

Bolton’s mid-table ranking reflects both its rich industrial history and the challenges it continues to face.

Elsewhere in Moss’s list, Blackpool took the top spot, while Watford finished last.

Other northern towns also featured prominently, including Rochdale and Stockport.

As the UK hones in on its first official Town of Culture, rankings such as Mr Moss’s serve to highlight both the proud heritage and modern challenges faced by some of England’s most iconic towns.

Bolton’s inclusion in the upper tier of the list, alongside ongoing investment in regeneration, may help support its case for further national recognition.

A Japanese city has cancelled its famous cherry blossom festival, citing concerns over high tourist numbers.

Fujiyoshida, about 62 miles (100km) west of Tokyo, has cancelled its annual Arakurayama Sengen Park Sakura Festival after a decade, according to local media.

The festival normally runs in early April to coincide with the blooming of the city’s iconic pink cherry blossoms.

But Fujiyoshida mayor Shigeru Horiuchi has announced the festival will not run this year to “protect the living conditions and dignity of all of our city’s residents”.

A vantage point in Arakurayama Sengen Park has gained popularity on social media sites like Instagram due to the stunning view of a snow-capped Mount Fuji.

“For the city of Fujiyoshida, Mount Fuji is not just a mere tourism resource, but a part of our lifestyle,” the mayor said, according to news outlet Japan Today.

“However, the flipside of that beautiful scenery is that our residents’ peaceful lifestyles are being threatened, and I strongly feel that this has become a crisis situation.

“My first priority is to protect the living conditions and dignity of all of our city’s residents. For that purpose, we have made the decision, after 10 years, to bring the Sakura Festival to an end.”

Fujiyoshida launched the festival 10 years ago in order to draw more tourists to the city, Japan Today reports, but the festival has since gained too much popularity.

Residents have complained about increased traffic congestion, littered cigarette butts and tourists trespassing on private property – or even urinating or defecating in residents’ gardens.

Japan has seen the number of tourists soar to more than 39 million in 2025, an increase from almost 37 million in 2024, according to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

The spike was propelled in part by the favourable currency conversion available to tourists because of the weakening of the Japanese yen.

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Fujiyoshida has acknowledged that cancelling the festival will likely not be enough to deter crowds of tourists visiting the park that usually hosts the festival during spring.

The lines of visitors looking to snap a picture in front of a five story pagoda and cheery blossom trees against the backdrop of Mount Fuji can often snake down the hill, images on social media show.

Nearby towns have in the past erected a view-blocking barrier to deter tourists, introduced an entry fee for hikers and capped their daily numbers, according to The Japan Times.

Liz was left in shock after she said she was told she would have to produce her dad’s death certificate for a refund

A daughter was left horrified when she said British Airways refused to refund her £3,500 flight without receiving her dad’s death certificate – despite him being still alive. Liz Horne was on holiday with her husband Nevil Horne, 63, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on November 29 when she was told that her dad was gravely ill.

The 61 year old was 10 days into her three-week getaway when she decided to get the first flight back to Bristol to be by the side of her 88-year-old dad Kevin Duvall. Liz, who had already paid £3,500 for two business-class tickets back to the UK, contacted BA to see if she could swap her seats for an earlier flight.

However, while on the phone to customer services, the semi-retired PA claims she was told she would have to fork out for new tickets and send over his death certificate to receive a refund. Horrified, Liz says she explained to the operator that her dad was in fact still alive, branding the slip-up as ‘shocking and insensitive’.

Liz ended up paying £2,500 for two tickets back to the UK, returning home just two days before her dad sadly died on December 1st after battling dementia for six years. Grief-stricken, Liz said she spent the following days organising a funeral while liaising with BA about her refund for the original tickets.

Liz claims she had to send her father’s death certificate over to BA four times while making multiple calls and emails to BA over her repayment. Liz claims the experience has made her resolute in never flying with the airline again – claiming it’s ‘not the great British institution [she] thought it was’.

British Airways admitted that the customer’s experience ‘fell short of expectations’ and they were in touch with her to resolve it. Liz, who lives in Bristol, said: “Dad had been in a nursing home for a number of years. I saw him a couple of days before I left for Thailand and he’d been his normal self.

“This was a bucket list trip for me. I’d always wanted to go to Thailand. We were in Chiang Mai and I got a call from my sister to say there’s no point in coming home but dad’s not going to be long. I was shocked, I’d only seen him a few days before. I processed it for a minute and thought I need to go and be with him.”

Liz rang her airline British Airways immediately to see if she could move her and her husband’s return flight to a different date. However, Liz claims BA told her this would not be possible, and instead advised her to book two new tickets and claim a refund after sending across her father’s death certificate.

Liz said: “They said on the phone ‘send us the death certificate and then you’ll be able to make the claim’. And I said ‘but he’s not dead yet’. It was unlikely he was going to make it – he was incredibly frail, [but] I suppose it was possible. He was responsive, my sister was telling him I was coming home.

“I was obviously shocked when they said that. It was quite shocking. I think I was quite numb. It was rather insensitive. There wasn’t any empathy, there didn’t seem to be that basic care. It might’ve been language – I know that English wasn’t their first language but even so, that wasn’t great.”

After forking out £2,500 for two flight tickets back to the UK, Liz made it home in time to say goodbye to her dad before he died two days later. However, Liz claims she’s still awaiting a refund despite sending her father’s death certificate over ‘four times’ in the last month.

Liz said: “There was just a lot of insensitivity and bureaucracy. I’d sent the death certificate on four occasions and still got asked to send it again. They agreed they could refund the £3,500 on the phone but I haven’t seen the money yet.

“I had to arrange a funeral and all these extra stresses going on besides BA. There’s been a lot to deal with. BA just added to all those stresses. I later found out that there’s a bereavement line that BA should’ve referred me to and they would’ve sorted it.

“I’ll never fly BA again after all the stress and anxiety they have added to an already very difficult time. I chose BA because of the name – I thought I could trust them. They’re known to me but now I know it’s not the great British institution I thought it was. You’re paying a lot of money for a flight – you want something you can rely on.”

A British Airways spokesperson said: “We know how stressful it must be to receive difficult news about a family member whilst abroad, and our teams work very hard to get people home as quickly as possible when this happens. On this occasion, our customer’s experience fell short of expectation, and we are in touch with them directly to resolve this matter.”

A huge bomb killed 31 people and wounded at least 169 others in an attack at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan‘s capital during Friday prayers.

Rescuers and worshippers said some of the wounded are in a critical condition as Islamabad police said an investigation is under way into the attack at the sprawling mosque.

Suspicion is likely to fall on Pakistani Taliban militants or the Islamic State group, which have been blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, who are a minority in the country. But no one has immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion .

Militants often target security forces and civilians across Pakistan.

open image in gallery

Though attacks are not so frequent in Islamabad, Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is a separate group, but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban.

A regional affiliate of the Islamic State group has also been active in the country.

Shortly after the explosion was first reported with a lower number of casualties, Islamabad deputy commissioner Irfan Memon gave the latest, much higher casualty tolls.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and extended condolences to the families of those killed. They instructed that all possible medical assistance be provided for those wounded.

“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Mr Zardari said. “The nation stands with the affected families in this difficult time.”

open image in gallery

Mr Sharif said he has ordered a full investigation. “Those who are responsible must be identified and punished,” he said.

Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, and asked authorities to ensure the provision of the best medical care to the wounded.

Friday’s attack occurred as Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on an official two-day visit, was attending an event with Mr Sharif. The event in Islamabad was several miles away from the site of the explosion.

The previous deadliest attack in Islamabad was in 2008, when a suicide bombing targeted the Marriott Hotel in the capital, killing 63 people and wounding over 250 others. In November, a suicide bomber had struck outside a court in Islamabad, killing 12 people.

The latest attack comes nearly a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out multiple attacks in insurgency-hit south-western Balochistan province, killing about 50 people.

Security forces responding to those attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists”, according to the military.

An environmental expert from Nigeria, a climate policy consultant from Kenya, an oceanographer from Indonesia and an Indigenous social development specialist from the Philippines will are among dozens of experts in the UK this month as the UN’s top climate body meets to rewrite the the rules for compiling the world’s most important climate reports.

The workshops at the University of Reading from February 10 to 12 will lay the groundwork for bringing diverse knowledge into the next report by the UN climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The seventh assessment report, known as AR7, will be published in 2028 and finalised the following year.

There are two big themes under discussion. One workshop examines how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help scientists review growing volumes of climate research. AI is revolutionising scientific research, with its ability to conduct faster analysis of complex data than traditional computer models. AI weather and climate models are already becoming integrated into the information provided through meteorological services such as the Met Office.

Another workshop explores how Indigenous and local knowledge can be integrated into these assessments alongside standard scientific findings. For decades, IPCC reports have been built primarily on peer-reviewed scientific papers from academic institutions, mostly in the world’s wealthier nations. These workshops explore how to better include Indigenous knowledge, local observations and expertise from communities that are experiencing climate change first hand.

This could not come at a more important time. A few weeks ago, the US withdrew its participation from the IPCC process. Now, a new cadre of experts from across the world are coming to the UK to make climate science more inclusive and AR7 preparation continues with 195 member countries. The work goes on, but the US absence leaves gaps in emissions reporting and funding.

Credible, yet unconventional

Bringing in diverse voices is essential to the report’s success. If IPCC reports reflect only one way of understanding the world, they can miss crucial insights. As other sectors have found again and again, a lack of diversity in the workforce leads to a lack of insight. The environment sector remains one of the least diverse, with only 3.5% of people working in environmental jobs identifying as being from an ethnic minority. Diverse voices and critical discussions are key to making robust, inclusive and future-proof decisions.

Through my work developing flood forecasting systems across Africa, Asia and Latin America, I’ve learned this directly. After Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique in 2019, the Global Flood Awareness System, a service that provides openly accessible information about upcoming floods across the world, was used to help target relief where it was most needed.

In Uganda, working with the humanitarian agency Uganda Red Cross and the Red Cross Climate Centre, our forecasts helped 5,000 people evacuate before roads were cut. In Bangladesh’s river basins, improving forecasts meant understanding how communities interpret flood risk. In Kenya, choosing the right forecasting approach required learning from the people who have lived with these rivers for generations.

Climate science has traditionally valued certain types of expertise. Peer-reviewed papers and university credentials do matter. But expertise also comes from generations of farmers building up understanding of local weather patterns or Indigenous knowledge about the land, forests and rivers. Scientific models, combined with community knowledge, produce better outcomes than either alone.

For the result of its latest report to be credible, the IPCC needs the best evidence from all sources, because that is what produces the best science.

City of York Council’s licensing and regulatory committee delayed the decision on Club 55’s application after hearing it should have gone before a licensing sub-committee.

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee’s Labour Chair Cllr Rachel Melly said their meeting on Thursday, February 5 could not have been legally cancelled after its agenda had been issued.

It comes after the venue, above Ziggy’s nightclub in Micklegate, lodged its application with the council to renew its licence for another year.

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Sex venues are legally required to renew their licences once a year and Club 55’s application was approved last year without objections.

The club offers lap dances and pole shows and is open from 9pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays and from 6pm to 4.30am on race days.

It has faced one objection this year from a Micklegate resident alleging they saw a brawl outside the venue which resulted in North Yorkshire Police officers being called.

The objector added it was an example of the kind of antisocial behaviour the club was fuelling.

The objector said: “We have witnessed an extremely violent attack between two groups of men waiting to go in, which led to at least 10 officers an ambulance attending and an arrest.

“An establishment which attracts large groups of men following heavy drinking sessions potentially lays itself open to this kind of behaviour, especially on race days when drinking starts much earlier in the day.

“Having a sex establishment inside a Grade II*-listed building in one of York’s most important historical streets has a detrimental impact on the street and city’s reputation as a leading tourist destination.”

Club 55 (right, first floor), in Micklegate, York. Picture is from Google Street View.

In a report on the venue’s application, licensing officials said there were no legal reasons compelling councillors to refuse the application.

They added approving it would keep the number of strip clubs at the locally-set limit of one.

Last year, the venue was inspected in December 2024 ahead of its renewal application being heard amid claims it was not following licensing rules.

The police lodged an objection to its application a month before the inspection.

It was later withdrawn and the venue faced no other opposition.

The council’s report stated the police had not objected to the venue’s latest application.

It added Club 55’s owners would be able to appeal a refusal of their application at a Magistrate’s Court if councillors make that decision.

Netflix audiences are curious about the female chess grandmaster Judit Polgar and her life beyond the sport.

Queen of Chess is an intriguing new Netflix documentary film focusing on real-life female chess champion Judit Polgár.

The factual film is perfect for fans of the 2020 drama The Queen’s Gambit and gives a real-life insight into the best female chess player in the world.

Where is Queen of Chess star Judit Polgar now?

Judit is married to vet Gusztáv Font after the couple met by chance when she took the family dog to be treated.

Gusztáv instantly fell for Judit, and the pair started dating before tying the knot in 2000.

In 2003, she had her peak world ranking at number eight. While her professional career was flourishing, she was struggling in her personal life after she suffered a miscarriage in 2002 at 13 weeks.

She told The Independent in 2012: “So it was a terrible time personally but a great time professionally.

“It was then that I decided to stop playing… I thought, perhaps if I stop playing then I will be able to get pregnant again.”

They welcomed son Oliver in 2004 and daughter Hanna two years later in 2006.

After the births of her two children, she gave up chess for a few years before returning to the game.

Judit no longer plays in standard chess tournaments after announcing her retirement in 2014, having played professionally since the age of 12.

Although she has stepped away from competing, she is a chess commentator and an author of chess books.

She has also hosted the Global Chess Festival and is behind the charity The Judit Polgar Chess Foundation, which seeks to promote education, science, culture and sport through chess.

Judit’s ascent in the world of chess was no accident after her educational psychologist father László Polgár decided that she and her sisters Sofia and Susan would become part of his experiment to create geniuses.

Instead of school, the girls would be taught chess seven days a week for eight to nine hours.

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In the Netflix documentary, Judit grew emotional when asked how she felt about being the subject of her father’s experiment to create a genius.

She said: “Of course, on one hand, it’s not nice being part of an experiment. I never felt myself being a genius.

“I know that the things I could reach, that was definitely 90 percent of my work and dedication, and this came from my parents.”

Judit continued: “My father, of course, was the one who showed me the beauty of chess. But, also what I could do, that I could be great. People have to believe in you and you have to believe in yourself.

“I think the most important thing is that from today, you have to be better than yesterday, and tomorrow you try to get better. And always fight until the very end.”

The documentary charts the fierce rivalry between Judit and world number one at the time Garry Kasparov, with the two battling each other in several matches over the years. It looked like Judit would never be able to beat Garry.

Did Judit ever beat Garry Kasparov?

Yes, she finally beat Kasparov in 2002 and she was crowned one of the best players in the world.

In the documentary, Judit said how she dreamed about winning against Garry and her eventual victory was a “great satisfaction”.

Her family were elected and sister Sofia said it was “a moment we had waited our whole lives to do”.

While older sister Susan said: “I was very proud of her. My father was extremely happy. I think he was jumping up and down from happiness.”

Laszlo said: “It was a fabulous achievement for her and that’s why I felt our experiment worked. But you can only say that Judit was one of the best players in the world.

“To be the number one among the world’s players, she would have had to work three or fours hours a day more. I’m just glad to see Judit happy.”

After beating Kasparov, Judit would then break into the top 10 players of all time and remains the only woman to have done so.

Queen of Chess is streaming on Netflix now

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